Of Hope and Light
by Saij Spellhart
Summary: TK is a war angel who has come to Earth for a vacation. He meets a free-spirited girl named Kari who can see angels. Together they form a friendship as she shows him how to live again. Rated T for now...
1. Her Smile

_His presence brings Hope to the hearts of those around him. She brought Light to his life when his world seemed empty._

Late in the evening, a light descended over downtown Reverse Side. It started off small, like a glowing orb. But as it came closer to the buildings it quickly grew in size. From the light 3 pairs of large shining wings emerged. This was followed by the form of a young man who was robed in opal fabric, a cerulean sarong, and trailing blue sash, its fabric the color of the deepest blue ocean. In the man's right hand he held a staff which was shining gold in the sunset light. Covering his face was a steal helm, a two bands of steal formed a cross over it. The effect of the helm made him look similar to a blind prophet.

As the light faded only the man remained. He quietly watched the city. Taking in its splendor, watching the lights and the cars below from behind his steal helm. The wings on his back never moved. They were not for flying. As an angel, he had the ability to suspend himself in midair when, where and however long he pleased. His wings were his armor in heaven, and his medals on earth. Each one represented either a life saved or a fallen angel slain.

Unlike most angels that came to earth, Takeru was not here to be a guardian. He had come to earth for his vacation. Something he had earned after thousands of years of service. The life of a war angel is wrought with peril and endless labor. At constant war with demons and possessed humans. For Takeru this vacation was paradise. And he intended to enjoy himself. After another moment of watching the city from above, he dropped down to immerse himself in the busy life below.

Takeru found himself on a street filled with bustling people. They wore strange garments foreign compared to his own clothes, and they walked around minding their own business. The people never noticed the angel amongst them because angels were invisible to the human eye. Only people born at the stroke of midnight on the summer or winter solstice could see angels. The only other exceptions were if God gave someone the gift of angel sight. And lastly, people who had only a few months left of life. Dying people could see angels because their spirits were starting to lose the connection to their earthly bodies.

In this way Takeru was not worried about drawing attention to himself. Here merely drifted through the crowds, learning the modern culture. Eventually he found himself on a quieter street. The crowds had thinned, and now there were only small groups of people wandering around. And it was here that Takeru happened upon a fellow angel.

When he saw her he knew right away she was a guardian. She was robed in white with long brown hair. She appeared to be following a young boy who was getting ready to cross the street. Takeru knew her ranking among the angels was low because she only had two wings. He watched as she followed the boy across the street, and he knew she sensed his presence when she looked up in his direction. For a moment she seemed startled, but after a nod and a soft smile she returned to her duties as if he had never been there.

It was not surprising that his fellow angel had been startled. It was not often that a war angel appeared on earth. And their presence meant great safety in the area that they appeared. But Takeru was not here to protect humans, or even other angels for that matter. Guardian angels can protect the humans just fine, and he had no intention of taking up that job again. It was a long time ago that he used to guard humans. It was his least favorable task, humans tended to be reckless, and selfish. In fact Takeru even felt a bit of pity for guardian angels. He viewed their lives as boring and monotonous.

The sun had completely sunken over the horizon when he found himself on another busy street. This one was again full of people, all of them busy seemingly with someplace to go. A group of boys passed him by and one of them stopped and glanced at him. The young man's eyes were glowing red and he let out a startled hiss at the sight of an angel. Takeru knew it was a possessed human right away. Half of him was torn. As an angel he felt compelled to drive the evil creature from the boy's body. But his other half reminded him that he was on vacation and therefore it was not his responsibility. By the time he made up his mind to drive out the creature, the boy had already vanished into the crowd, much too far ahead for Takeru to catch up.

Takeru sighed heavily. He felt the sting of guilt knowing he could have done something, but his hesitation had spoiled his chance. He scolded himself, as a war angel he should have acted on the spot-

It only took a mili-second for Takeru to find himself face first on the ground. He had landed hard, and the sound of labored breathing crawled into his ears. Instinct took over and he forced himself off the ground causing whatever had jumped on him to be thrown off. The angel whipped around quickly to face his attacker and was quick to recognize the red-eyed boy from before. Apparently the possessed kid had doubled back to challenge him.

The kid looked strange now. His skin looked stretched and unhealthy. It was as if his very flesh was ripping. His eyes glowed red with unsettling evil and each one of the boy's teeth were sharp like little fangs. His breathing was so heavy and strained that it sounded like he had a choker on.

Takeru held up his staff to ward of the boy, but the creature didn't seem to take notice of it. Instead he lunged at Takeru like a mad man.

"Hand of Fate!" Came the echoing cry. Takeru forced his fist forward and a blast of golden light burst from his knuckles. The light pierced a burning hole through the boy's ribcage. When the boy fell back, his body thrown upon the ground, and dense smoke trailed from the hole in his chest. When the smoke finally left his body, the hole in his chest closed up and the boy's body returned to normal.

With the demonic creatures gone, the body of the young man had returned to a normal appearance. And soon the human soul would take control once again. Satisfied with his accomplishment, Takeru turned and walked away.

He had barely gotten 30 feet away when a girl stopped right in front of him. She stared up at him with large eyes full of innocence. Takeru was about to pass her by when she spoke to him.

"I've never seen an angel with six wings before." Her voice was like soft melody and a set of chimes at the same time. "Are you someone's guardian?"

"No…" was Takeru's hesitant reply.

"I saw what you did for that boy back there. You were so brave Mr. Angel." She beamed at him with a smile that could warm a frozen heart.

"You see angels?" questioned Takeru. _She must be a chime child. A human born on the stroke of midnight during the solstice._

"Sure." She smiled. "You are the third one i've seen this week. Only, you look different then the others." Her comment was accompanied by the tilt of her head. The gesture made her look cute, and the two sparkly pink clips in her short brown hair added to the effect. Of Course being dressed in a light pink sleeveless turtle neck sweater and gray capris, did not detract from her cuteness either.

"I am a war angel. I fight the spawn of hell and the fallen angels." Takeru informed.

"So why are you here?" she asked. "And what's your name?"

"...Takeru." He responded. "I'm on vacation." After a pause he spoke again. "May I inquire your name?"

"Oh I'm Kari~," she said with a blush.

**_To Be Continued..._**


	2. Rekindling Light

The darkness of nightfall descended on the buildings and crept into the busy streets of Reverse Side. The hardworking, bustling folk of the day time melted away and the city became overrun with the seedy, and wilder night folk. Cars still zoomed through the streets, and lights still glowed from the many establishments littering the city. Aside from the new atmosphere, Reverse Side was still as alive and noisy as it had been during the daylight hours.

There was just one noticeable exception, the night brought out the creatures of temptation and lust. Demons and monsters, spirits, and apparitions, they now plagued the streets praying upon the energy of the city folk, and their weaknesses.

Every once in awhile Takeru would let his gaze wander to the sky. There he could see the glowing streams of light, feint and faraway on a different plain. There God's angels were fighting and striking down the spawn of hell, that dared threaten the cosmos. Angels always had the upper hand, but demons were filled with lust, anger, hatred, greed, and deceit. Their tormented minds would always strive for things that were so unmistakably out of their reach.

In the distance back on the plain of Earth , he could hear the recognizable howl of Gabriel's hounds. Celestial hunting dogs who hunted in the early evening for damned souls that had escaped from the gates of hell. They joy filled howl of the hounds reverberated across the skies, and filled Takeru with elation, knowing that at all hours of the day and even the lonely hours of the night, God's angels, and influence was keeping the world safe.

_"I'm Kari~"_

Her voice re-entered his thoughts. Hours earlier the young lady he'd encountered had bid him goodbye with a smile, and a bow of her head. He'd watched her disappear into the streets, quickly being swallowed up by the crowds of people. He assumed that she was going home, and sent a silent prayer to heaven that her trip would be a safe one. His heart was instilled with confidence that he probably wouldn't ever see her again. Too many humans in the world, and their lives were so fleeting. Their existence so short lived in comparison to an Angel's never ending one. _Maybe we will meet in heaven, when your mortal soul ascends._

Yet even though he assured himself that The two of them would not cross paths, deep in his heart a tiny smolder ignited. It was a hope being born, that maybe just maybe, she would grace his eyes with her smile, that smile that held so much light and life.

The hours passed and without noticing, the war angel's wandering had brought him to a lush green park in the north-east side of the city. As his feet touched the grass carpeted earth below, something magical happened.

Plants were more attuned to the celestial plains then living creatures. And the grass below Takeru recognized his presence, and thrived on his energy. With the connection of touch, Takeru's overflowing angelic power poured out into the Earth around him, nourishing the plants, and everything began to grow very quickly. The grass becoming taller, thicker, and more lush. Flowers that were common in spring but not so common in this summer, sprouted and flourished, blooming to life and brilliance. Seeds and nuts from nearby trees, became fertile, and took root. Ever so tiny saplings sprung from the Earth, one right after the other. IT was as if the angel's presence was growing a miniature Garden of Eden right there at the edge of the park.

Takeru took note, of the affect he was having on the plant-life in this area, and chuckled. Instead of continuing on foot, and drawing attention to his presence. He lifted his feet off the ground and continued on , his feet walking on the air instead of the ground. It was best not to cause a stir, it was his vacation after all, and he didn't find it to be an appealing pastime to garden. Even if it was lovely.

Most angels could not so drastically affect the plant life in an area. Since most of the angels that were assigned to be down here on earth were low-level guardians, their power was not as influential, and it took effort and concentration to let their energy flow into living things. A war angel was notorious for having overflowing energy, energy that plants and animals were drawn to, and took nourishment and energy from.

Careful to to disturb any more growth in this park, he continued forth, towards the park's center in search for entertainment. And it wasn't long before he happened across a festival taking place that night. There were humans everywhere, dancing and singing and making merry with one another. A temporary wooden stage had been erected and a band was playing, blasting alternative rock music throughout the crowds. People had gathered around, jumping and cheery, and it compelled Takeru to draw closer into the group to see what had these humans so filled with upbeat energy.

So close to stage and the music, Takeru could feel the energy and beat washing over him, and it took mere seconds for him to decide he liked this music. It was alive and fiery, and he let himself be carried away in the heat. Calling out and cheering to the band just as the humans were.

"Well look at that. One of God's own war tools letting loose and having fun. I take it you like this music as well?"

Takeru stopped moving, and fell silent. His gaze sifted to the source of the voice, and his angelic powers tuned out the excited sounds of the humans, to a quite hum of background noise. Not six feet away from the war angel was a man. He was dressed in modern human clothing and blended right into this crowd. But Takeru could tell right away from this man's aura, that he was not among the living. However he was no angelic being either.

"Let me introduce myself," The man disrupted the Angel's scrutiny. "I'm keeper and handler of Cerberus. My name is Tai." He held out his hand, to Takeru, a human gesture of friendship.

After a moment of hesitation, Takeru assessing whether this man's gesture was pure. He decided to return the handshake, and clasped Tai's hand firmly. "I am Takeru."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, war angel Takeru." Tai grinned at him in a friendly manner. "The underworld, and lower level's of hell spread rumors of your relentless justice. You are legendary where I am from."

Even though Tai was not an angelic being, he was still an agent of heaven more or less. There were many otherworldly beings who were neither servants of hell, nor directly for heaven, who maintained the balance of the world. Ferrying souls, guiding the dead, running errands, keeping celestial creatures in check. The list could go on.

"I've been away from Earth for so long, man has evolved and changed since i was a guardian. The music for instance." Said Takeru in a low voice.

"You like it don't you? Its way more lively then the crap 50 years ago." Tai nodded and grinned, "You do kinda stick out though. Mission or no mission, why not change into something more relaxing?"

The angel turned his attention to the other being's clothing. The clothing was foreign and he didn't really know what words to use to describe it. Just that it was very modern human.

"Come along with me, Angel-man," Tai motioned for Takeru to follow. "I'll take you to my favorite clothing store, and we can get you into something a little more... rad." The keeper snickered and Takeru left the front of the stage in step behind him.

"Enlighten me." He was silent for awhile, but was brooding inside. He wanted to apply nouns to the clothing Tai wore. "Please, keeper, tell me about the clothing you wear."

"Oh this?" Tai motioned to his attire. "Just some goggles up here. Cause they looked tight and all." he tapped the band on his head. "Then i got this hoodie, it's themed after a popular TV show they have here. This theme is called Vinyl Scratch." he paused to see if there was any recognition in Takeru's eyes. There wasn't. "It's a pony." He explained, as if that cleared anything up. Tai shook his ass to show off the tail connected to the back of the hoodie. Adjacent to the tail was a music note. "I like music. Anyway, underneath i'm wearing a T-shirt, and these are jeans." He finished by gesturing to his pants and stuffing his hands in his pockets. "Any other questions?"

"No" Takeru continued on, feeling his questions weren't answered in a way that he could comprehend. "Humans are strange."

"Especially the women." added Tai.

Eventually they left the park, and escaped back into the liveliness of the inner city streets. The music had faded, replaced instead by voices and cars roaring loudly once more.


	3. Intuition, Don't Question

**So here is chapter 3. After much time, I finally felt the inspirtation to update this one. It's kind of a weird story for me to write, I like being able to describe angels in a very different way. But I'm also not too great on writing about a modern setting. ^^; forgive me. **

Chapter Title: "Maybe it's Intuition, Some Things You Just Don't Question." -Savage Garden

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><p>Tai introduced Takeru to many living world things. After their trip to the clothing store had been a success, they had proceeded to a club, to get drinks, and so that Takeru could hear another form of modern music. The didn't stay long at the club, and went to an arcade soon after to partake in what Tai called, "Gaming."<p>

A competitive rivalry soon formed between the two, and Takeru was inclined to such nature given his war angel status. The two played games for hours, and it often helped that as other worldly beings, they could conjure human currency from thin air.

It was early morning before the boys decided they'd had enough.

"Seriously man, you don't have to be incorporeal and invisible all the time." Said Tai. They were in the park again, but sitting on a bench at the outskirts of it. Both boys were drinking a soda, and kicking back.

"I've contemplated taking form on the human plain." Responded Takeru, giving the idea more thought.

"Well with the modern clothes you have now, you will no longer stand out. And your wings won't be seen by human eyes, unless you let them. There are many humans you could meet, Sometimes it can be a lot of fun." Tai said trying to persuade.

"I don't know..." he seemed unsure. Tai's suggest sounded tempting, but Takeru wasn't quite ready to mingle with common humans yet. Instead he decided to change the subject. "I met a girl yesterday, she was a chime child... I think."

"A human girl saw you?" He regarded Takeru with an impressed look. "Wow, whenever humans see me while I'm incorporeal, they never say anything. Maybe it's because I'm just a caretaker, and I don't have any badass wings like you do."

"Badass..." Takeru snorted with mirth. "Have you seen demon wings lately?"

"Yeah, those guys have some badass wings..." The caretaker agreed. "Hey if you see that girl again, you should take her out somewhere. You're on vacation, why not ask her out on a date?"

"Date her?" The angel's face contorted into a confused expression.

"Oh c'mon, don't be so uptight. Its your v-a-c-a-t-i-o-n. That means you get to do whatever you want." Tai elbowed him for emphasis. "Ask her to go with you to the movies, invite her to the arcade, grab a bite to eat. Ya know, whatever. Just do something fun." Tai realized he wasn't thinking very deeply about the age of this human girl, and quickly tried to amend his earlier suggestion. "Ya know, as long as she's pretty and stuff, and not underage. Don't.. ya know... date little kids. That'd be weird." He looked away to hide the embarrassment of his over eager suggestion.

"She appeared to be a mid teenager from the looks of it." Answered Takeru. Trying to lift some of the awkwardness. "Similar to the age we appear to be."

"Oh well good!" The caretaker beamed.

"But I don't think I'll ever see her again. There are too many humans in this city, and I have no desire to spend my vacation playing the seeker, in this monstrous labyrinth." He lamented.

"Oh quit being a Negative-Nancy. If you see her, ask her out. If you don't, oh well. You can always hang out with me." Assured Tai. He didn't like seeing people down, or acting negative. He was a generally an out-going and up beat individual. He prefered the atmosphere around him to be the same way. "I'll maul you at video games any day of the week, you just name it."

Takeru responded to his declaration with a snide grin, and a nod. The arcade had been surprisingly fun, and it was nice to be able to compete with someone in a way that wasn't war.

"I'm going to call you TK, because it's not as awkward, as your regular name." Informed the caretaker. "If you mind, well too bad."

"Only if I get to call you shit-face." He replied back.

"Oh you are funny, _TK~"_

"I learned it all from your mother, _Tai~"_

_0000_

The two boys parted ways, not long after that, because Tai had duties he needed to attend to. Being the caretaker of Cerberus meant he at least had to check in with the beast during the day, and make sure all was well and feed it... A LOT. The two made plans to meet up at the park in the evening and hang out again. The location would be near a statue of a husky, a memorial that the city had erected in honor of a sled dog team.

And so the day became Takeru's time to wander the city in search of ways to indulge. Gluttony? Sloth? Temptation? Thou will be a heartless bitch on this vacation. But who was takeru kidding? He was an angel, not a saint.

But fate was a foul temptress, and she played at strings that no mortal or immortal could comprehend. And even with the odds stacked against them, Kari walked back into Takeru's life as spontaneously as she had the first time. And that's what compelled the angel to get to know the girl.

"Well hello there, Mr. Angel," Her cheerful and musical voice tickled his ears even over the din of the duck pond.

Takeru whipped around quickly and saw the same girl he'd met the day before. The girl who had left such an odd impression on him. "Hi." He responded meekly. Surprise getting the better of him.

Today she was wearing a lovely pink and white blouse, with two playful kittens embroidered near the bottom-left corner. She wore blue jean capris, and brown floral accented sandals. And in her hair was a kitten themed hair clip, holding her bangs away from her eyes. Several hand made colorful bracelets could be seen around her wrists. And she wore that same innocent and cheerful smile she had the other day, even as she walked over to stand next to him and look at the duck pond.

"What are you doing, Takeru?" The use of his name meant she remembered their last conversation well enough.

"I was admiring this park's beauty, in the light of day." He answered softly, he as well turned his attention to the pond, and observed some ducks herding their little babies out onto the water.

"You got yourself some new clothes today. They look nice, much different than the angelic clothing you were wearing yesterday." Kari gave the angel a once over, as she spoke to him. Today he was wearing a sleeveless green hoodie, and a tan t-shirt underneath. He wore white pants, and tennis shoes. And on his hands he wore some trendy finger-less gloves, they were black in color. Lastly a tan fisherman's hat sat upon a nest of silky blonde hair on his head.

That was another thing she had been unable to see before. Unlike the last time they met, today he didn't wear the steel helm that made him appear similar to a blind prophet. Today, his face was bare for her to see, and she was rather surprised to see he was nothing more than a young boy. Maybe only appearing a few years older then herself. And his features were soft, and actually quite handsome. A small blush tinged her cheeks at the thought and she tore her eyes away from him before it became too awkward.

"Can you still see my wings?" His question broker their silence. But he gave no explanation for why he wanted to know.

"Yes," She nodded happily. "That's how I was able to recognize you even with the change of attire. You are still the only angel I've ever seen to have so many beautiful wings."

"I see." He smiled shyly at her. "I changed my form, I'm now visible and corporeal to human eyes, and human touch." He reached out his hand for her to feel.

Kari didn't show any hesitation, she happily placed her own hand upon his, and felt his skin against hers. There was a buzzing feeling, almost like a pleasant current of electricity had passed form him to her.

Takeru on the other had was alarmed by the exchange and snatched his hand away. He had expected their contact to be nothing more then the brushing of skin against skin. But for some reason her body had channeled some of his angelic powers, and had taken it in_. Was this an ability of a chime child?_ One that he wasn't aware of? It was true, it had been so very long since he'd been among the living, and even then chime children were so very rare. He had never actually interacted with them like this. For all he knew they could very well be just as attuned to his powers as the plants were. He decided to acquire a pair of gloves that covered his hands more, so as to avoid this kind of exchange with her in the future. Who knows what his angel power could do to this small human, especially with how it made plants and flowers mature and grow so quickly.

"Sorry," He quickly apologized to her. "Must have been static electricity."

"That's alright." She didn't seem offended by his sudden action. "It happens."

At this point Takeru would have been lost an unable to get the conversational ball rolling. He'd never been much of a talker, and it had been centuries since interacting with humans like this. But Kari didn't need any coaxing from him, she took the reigns all on her own.

"Come with me! I want to show you something really nice!" Her announcement was sudden and Takeru was unable to find the words to protest. "Since you're here for a vacation, you should live a little, and nothing is more lively then the city mall!" Kari was mindful of him, and instead of grabbing his hand, she grasped his sleeve. And then proceeded to drag him off into the city.

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><p><strong>Anonymous reviews ARE enabled. So anyone can review, account or not. <strong>

**If you review, it means I'll prolly be inspired to update more. I have several other stories going on right now. And "I'm Not Suffering from Insanity." is kinda my top priority right now. I wanna finish that monster rather than put it on hiatus again. So please, if you like the story, just take a little time out to tell me why, and maybe some thoughts on the story. **

**If you like Digimon art, come find me on DA. I'm Saij Spellhart, username: Saij-Spellhart. Whatever you type in the search, my art will pop up. If you contact me via, private message, I can help you locate TK and Kari fanart that I've drawn. I usually draw a little something that pertains to any story I write. **

**I even draw things related to other people's fanfiction. Just so ya know. **


	4. It's Heaven, It's Hell

**Chapter Title: "One Day its Heaven, One Day its Hell." -Jessica Riddle, Even Angels Fall.**

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><p>Kari was right, the mall was indeed very lively. A human could easily get swept away in the atmosphere, all this hustle and bustle. There were shops of every kind stretching as far as the eyes could see. And centered in the middle of it all was the food court. It was the most amazing collection of eateries that Takeru had ever laid eyes on. There was everything from a Cinnabon, where you could watch them bake fresh cinnamon rolls, To a gourmet sandwich shop offering fresh hand-made subs and clubs.<p>

Coincidentally that's where their little outing started. Kari was super excited to try a new little baked goods shop, and have a cup of spiced tea. Takeru found himself wrapped up in her eagerness and jovial enthusiasm, he even found himself stepping in to make the purchase for her. The shy smile he earned was payment enough for his actions. And so it came to pass that a revered angel of war was sitting at the mall across from a pretty girl eating raspberry scones and drinking spiced milk tea.

"So how did you get all those wings, Takeru?" asked Kari over a sip of her tea.

"Oh..." Takeru looked away a little embarrassed. "Each wing represents a human life saved, or a fallen angel.. well you get it."

"Really? Only six? Shouldn't you have a million?" Kari leaned over to get a better look at the wings. Since he was now corporeal, the wings had become a little translucent, but they still glowed with a heavenly light.

"That's very flattering of you to say. But no. Saving a human isn't as easy as just pushing them out of the way of a car, or anything like that. You have to save them in both mind and body. They have to be moved both physically and mentally. For example I could save a suicidal person from dying, but unless they choose to change their lifestyle and lead a different path in life, it doesn't count as saving their life." Takeru took a moment to let her grasp what he was talking about, and took a sip if his tea.

Kari was looking at him with wide eyes, sparkling with admiration. "So you helped six people that deeply?"

"...No." He tried to hide behind his tea.

Her eyes fell and she adopted a confused and questioning look.

Takeru sighed, and figured there wasn't an easy way to worm out of this. "Two of them are human lives I've saved. The others... are fallen angels." He turned his head away figuring this would probably color her image of him. "They represent the fallen angels that I've slayed."

"Oh." Her tone was quiet, but her confusion became replaced with understanding at least. "Do you kill them to keep the world safe?"

This he could state proudly, and he did. "Yes, I serve the heavens and the earth with my service. I've fought for thousands of years keeping all living things safe."

There is was, that admiration, it was almost as bright as angelic light. Kari got up and approached him, in response Takeru leaned away, but she didn't touch him. No, she just gazed in wonder at all the ivory colored wings and all their beautiful feathers.

"You don't suppose there would be a shop that sells long-sleeved fingered gloves here?" His question was a little random, but he wanted to be careful around her.

"There's a Hot Topic over that way. It's one of my favorite stores, if anything that would be the place." She snatched her tea, and half eaten scone and darted off towards the east side of the mall. Takeru barely had time to gather his own food and drink, and rush quickly after. He had to remind himself halfway through a stride that humans could see him right now, for he was a little higher off the ground then he meant to. It was so easy for him to forget and try to hover. Walking like a human was so tedious, but he forced his feet to descend and stay connected with the ground.

0000

An hour later and fifty dollars spent, and Takeru had a pair of soft brown suede gloves. They were thin enough to allow him a decent amount of dexterity, and soft enough that it wasn't unpleasant when he touched skin. And on top of that the color matched his hat. Which really didn't concern him as much as it concerned Kari. Must be a girl thing.

Kari on the other hand, bought herself a head band that sported a pair of large white cat ears. They were accented with little tufts of purple fur on the tips. She also bought a matching clip on tail. It had a similar white and purple theme, and even had an ornate gold ring near the end.

"What do you think?" She struck a pose for Takeru, and swished her hips to get the tail moving.

The angel was struck silent. One again, her cute nature coupled with her charming good looks rendered him thoughtfully quiet. Instead his eyes appraised her, as if she were a rarity among the mundane and common.

Kari blushed and shoved him a little. "Stop staring you're making me self-conscious."

"Sorry." Takeru apologized. He averted his gaze awkwardly. "You just look really lovely." He tried to hide behind his now could cup of tea. He was making a habit of this.

"You think I look lovely?" Kari leaned towards him with her hands behind her back.

_Oh God_. She put him on the spot. "Well, you know... I just... well..." Takeru's cheeks felt like they were on fire. He tried to hide his red-faced embarrassment by turning away. He spotted a skating rink not far from where they were, and seized the escape. "C'mon let's go skating, it looks like fun." He unconsciously grabbed her hand and pulled her towards the attraction.

Kari didn't say anything about his evasion and instead focused on his hand grasping hers. He grip wasn't gentle, but it wasn't rough either. A little awkward, but the suede of his gloves caressed her skin in a nice way. Even though he couldn't see, she was smiling a warm smile.

0000

Their day came to a close all to quickly. Both of them had a blast at the skating rink, until Kari became short of breath. They had to stop when she doubled over near the edge. Her breathing was labored, and when Takeru inquired about what was wrong, she just brushed off his concerns. "I'm fine." She said. "Just a bit dizzy, we should stop and get a drink."

After they left the rink and got an iced water from the food court, Kari pointed out the time. "It's getting rather late. I should probably head on home." She didn't look very eager to part ways, but she was right, it was already evening. "Will I see you again, Takeru?"

"I'd be delighted to." Takeru beamed. Today had been the most fun he'd had, despite the shy and embarrassing moments. "Did you have a place in mind?"

"I'm free this friday. Can we go to Zoo? I hear they just built a huge garden there, and they have animals that get to wander without cages." She fixed him with unnecessary pleading eyes and clasped her hands together.

"You don't need to look at me like that, Kari." He rolled his eyes and tried to keep his cheeks from turning red. "You know I'm gonna say yes."

"YES!" she cheered happily, and without so much as a warning she reached up and kissed him on the cheek. All his attempts to fight back a blush flew right out the window. But the kiss was short-lived. The sudden current of his angelic power channeling into her startled them both. Kari quickly drew back, ashamed of what she had done. "I'm sorry." She had felt the current, but most of all she felt him flinch away. Without another word she rushed away towards the exit.

Takeru was too stunned to stop her, and only reached out a silent hand of protest. But it was too late, she was already gone. Instead he reached his other hand to his face and touched the place where she kissed him. A soft endearing smile graced his features as he stared after her. "I'll see you tomorrow..." He whispered.

"Well well well" A new voiced interjected. "Did you make plans to meet somewhere?"

The war angel spun around quickly to find a dark looking individual leaning against a pillar. It was a guy with spiky sandy colored hair and a lanky figure. He wore a black sleeveless sweater, large brown leather gloves and brown carpenter pants. And his eyes were piercing. But most startling of all he had three rather large chiroptera* wings. A pair on his shoulders, and the third was located on the lower part of his back, just before his hip.

"Who are you?" Takeru was immediately on guard, aware that he was in the presence of a rather powerful demon. Takeru let his body shift to incorporeal invisibility and proceeded to manifest his Angelic war staff.

"Woah man. I have no hostile intentions. Chill." The stranger raised his hands in submission, signalling that he was unarmed. "The name's Matt, I work in the underworld with Tai."

Takeru relaxed his stance, but still kept his staff manifested. "What do you want from me?"

"Nothing, Tai was just telling me about you, and I thought I'd come up and see what all the fuss was about." Matt seemed like the pretentious type, especially when he began nonchalantly picking invisible lint off his gloves. "She's a pretty thing you got there." He nodded in the direction Kari had left not long before.

"She's nothing you should concern yourself with." Takeru flexed his six wings in a showy way. Almost like an eagle trying to puff up and look more intimidating.

"You have nothing to worry about, I've no interest dilly-dallying with a mortal." Matt tried to shoot Takeru a friendly smile, but it ended up being off-putting, rather than comforting.

"I see..." Takeru leaned on his staff a bit, but still eyed Matt with a wary look.

"You didn't plan a meeting place." Matt stated off topic.

"Excuse me?"

"When you agreed to hang out with her on Friday. You didn't agree to meet up anywhere. How's she supposed to find you?" The demon posed a valid question.

"Dammit." Takeru cursed to himself and clenched one of his fists.

"You'll think of something later." Assured Matt, but he made it no secret that he found the predicament amusing. "C'mon, Tai's waiting for you at the park. He was going to introduce us there, but I'm kinda unmanageable."

"And why would Tai introduce me to a demon?"

"Hey we aren't all bad." Defended Matt.

Takeru shot him a disbelieving look.

"-that bad." Matt corrected himself. "I am the guard who accompanies Joe, Ferryman of the Underworld." He swept his arms to the side and gave a mock half bow. "So I do my public service just like you. We just serve different domains."

The demon was met with a sarcastic eyebrow raise. But reluctantly Takeru let Matt lead the way, and the two of them headed off to the park to meet Tai.

0000

**WOO! Can't believe I wrote so much fluff! I'm not a fluffy writer so that was kinda weird. Tell me what you think. Trust me the fluff is relevent, it helps build the characters. LoL. And hopefully you guys found it cute. Cute isn't really my thing, so some feedback would be nice. **

**And LOOK! I introduced Matt. Joe was gonna be the demon, and Matt the ferryman. But Matt seemed to embody the attitude of a demon better. Joe would have just been an awkward and clumsy demon. **

**R&R, Anonymous reviews are enabled. **

*Chiroptera: refers to the order of mammals that comprises the bats. Chiroptera is modern latin for "hand-wing." In context to this story, it means Matt has Bat-like wings.


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